Screening for Skin Cancer
- Study type
- Clinical guideline
- Study name
- USPSTF 2023 – Skin Cancer Screening
- Design
- Clinical guideline recommendation statement (update of the 2016 recommendation) based on a systematic review of evidence on the benefits and harms of screening
- Sample size
- Not applicable (guideline recommendation statement; no patient numbers in the abstract)
- Source
- JAMA · 2023
In plain words
The US Preventive Services Task Force looked at whether a skin examination by a doctor is useful for finding skin cancer early in people who have no symptoms and no history of suspicious skin lesions. It concluded that the current evidence is not enough to tell whether the benefit of this examination is greater than its harm. This does not mean that skin examination is useless; it only means there is not yet enough evidence for a firm judgement. If you notice a new or changing sore, spot or mole on your skin, be sure to see a doctor.
Key points
Key guideline recommendations
- I statement
The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of visual skin examination by a clinician to screen for skin cancer in adolescents and adults.
Study population
Asymptomatic adolescents and adults without a history of premalignant or malignant skin lesions.
Endpoints
A systematic review commissioned by the USPSTF examined the benefits and harms of skin cancer screening in asymptomatic adolescents and adults. Details of the endpoints examined are not given in the abstract and are available in the full text.
Safety and side effects
The abstract gives no numerical data on harms or adverse effects of screening. The overall conclusion is that the evidence is insufficient to determine the balance of benefits and harms. Details are in the full text and its accompanying systematic review.
Clinical significance and place in guidelines
This statement updates the 2016 recommendation and again keeps the "I" grade (insufficient evidence) for visual skin examination by a clinician as screening in people without symptoms and without a history of premalignant or malignant skin lesions. Based on the abstract, this recommendation is neither for nor against screening; it only indicates that the evidence is insufficient to judge the balance of benefits and harms. Clinical decision-making should be individualised, and the status of recommendations in other guidelines (including authoritative national guidelines) should be checked separately.
Limitations
The main limitation is the statement's own conclusion: the available evidence is insufficient to determine the balance of benefits and harms of screening. The recommendation applies only to asymptomatic adolescents and adults without a history of premalignant or malignant skin lesions and does not cover symptomatic patients or those with a history of lesions. Details of the quality of evidence and research gaps are not given in the abstract and are in the full text.
This summary was prepared by the editorial team from the published paper; the original paper is the final reference. Read the original abstract on PubMed.